1. Field of the Invention
A collapsible, multi-compartmented tray wherein each of the various compartments are at least partially defined by interlocking integrally formed divider portions mounted at correspondingly positioned locations so as to be disposed in engagement with one another along a predetermined length of the container. Force exerted on predetermined portions of the container causes it to unfold and collapse into a substantially single, planar sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multi-compartmented containers specifically designed for various particular applications are quite well-known in the packaging and related industries. Depending upon the particular product or goods intended to be utilized in combination with such a container, there is frequently a recognized difficulty in removing such goods from the various compartments comprising the container. Such difficulty includes not only the possibility of damaging various products upon removal, but also such problems relate to the efficiency, speed and effectiveness with which the products can be removed on an automated basis.
The problems mentioned above again are widely recognized from containers such as ice trays wherein the removal of the ice cubes formed in the various compartments has been a universally accepted difficulty frequently requiring unusual strength and force being exerted on the container.
From an industrial standpoint, the nursery industry is indicative of the commercial utilization of multi-compartmented containers which require effective and efficient means of removing seedlings and the like from the various compartments in a seedling tray.
In the nursery trade, it is common practice to plant seeds in shallow compartmentalized trays for germination and sprouting. These shallow trays are filled with potting soil which is kept in a moist condition until the sprouts from the seeds project through the surface of the soil. When the seed sprouts are of a desired height, or maturity, the seedlings or sprouts are then removed from the germination tray. Usually, the seedlings are removed from the soil manually by plucking or pulling the seedling with its roots from the soil by finger pressure. Manual removal of the seedlings from the soil often results in separation of the root structure from the seedling, and/or serious damage to the seedling which renders it incapable of further growth. Since removal of the entire root structure with the seedling is of paramount importance in transplanting a plant in its early stages of development, it has thus been desirable to find a seedling tray which will enable removal of the plants from the potting soil without damage to the roots.
Previous attempts to provide a seedling tray with a removable insert which would enable the seedling to be removed from the soil without damage, have utilized such expedients as a removable grid or single removable channels which could be opened by disengaging fasteners, such as locking tabs, to permit the insert to be opened for loosening the potting soil in each cavity about the roots of the seedling in that cavity. However, removal of the potting soil from a grid or individual channel is a time-consuming and laborious task which necessarily limits the rate at which seedlings may be removed from the potting soil. Thus, it has long been desirable to find an insert for a seedling germinating tray which permits simultaneous rapid and easy loosening of the soil about each of a plurality of seedlings and thus enable rapid removal of the seedlings from the soil without concurrent damage to the root structure of the seedlings.
Accordingly, it can be seen that there is a great need in many industries for a multi-compartmented container having a structure and design which allows the easy removal of the contents from the various compartments. The design of such a container should be such that it could be manufactured from a disposable material or, alternately, be manufactured from a substantially durable material capable of re-use and even sterilization techniques including chemical application and excessive heat treatment. Irrespective of the material used to construct such a container, an important feature thereof should be its ability to "collapse" or allow for the separation and access to the various compartments without the exertion of unnecessary time and/or force thereon.